The Minnesota Vikings have officially waived wide receiver Adam Thielen, parting ways with a franchise icon after the veteran requested a larger role down the stretch of what he’s indicated will be his final NFL season.
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah confirmed the move, explaining that Thielen’s camp approached the team last week to ask for his release. The reason?
A desire for more playing time in what could be his last ride in the league. After discussions over the weekend, the team chose to honor the request.
“Out of respect for Adam,” Adofo-Mensah said in a statement, “we have agreed to give him the opportunity to pursue more playing time elsewhere.”
And that’s the key word here: respect. Because if anyone has earned it in Minnesota, it’s Adam Thielen.
Thielen, 35, is more than just a wide receiver. He’s a hometown story that turned into a franchise legacy.
A Minnesota native who went undrafted out of Minnesota State, Thielen clawed his way onto the Vikings roster in 2013 and never looked back. Over a decade with the team, he became one of the league’s most reliable route runners and a go-to target in the red zone.
His rise from local tryout to Pro Bowler is the stuff of NFL folklore.
After his release in the 2023 offseason, Thielen signed with the Carolina Panthers, where he took on a leadership role in a young offense. But Minnesota brought him back this past offseason in a trade, giving fans a chance to see No. 19 in purple and gold one more time. Unfortunately, the reunion didn’t pan out the way anyone had hoped.
Thielen’s role in the offense this season was minimal. He made just eight catches for 69 yards across 11 games, starting in only four. For a player who once racked up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and was a consistent red zone threat, it was a quiet final chapter in Minnesota.
Still, Thielen made it clear that his love for the Vikings runs deep.
“Vikings family - Thank you,” he wrote in a heartfelt message on X. “This is tremendously difficult for me to write and certainly not how any of us imagined this to go.
“As a Minnesota native, putting on this uniform over the years and representing this community both on and off the field has always meant that much more to me. This team is in my bones.
It’s in my heart and it’s part of my DNA. I will ALWAYS be a Minnesota Viking.”
It’s a fitting tribute from a player who embodied what it meant to wear that jersey. Thielen wasn’t just a wide receiver; he was a symbol of perseverance, work ethic, and hometown pride. And while his playing days in Minnesota may be over, his legacy is already cemented in Vikings lore.
Now, as he looks for one more opportunity to contribute elsewhere, the hope is that he’ll get the chance to close out his career on his own terms - with the ball in his hands and a little more time on the field.